Japan's Prime Minister Won't Get Second Term

TOKYO — Prime Minister Toshiki Kaifu was forced Friday to abandon his effort to win a second term in office after his most powerful party benefactors abruptly withdrew their support.

The sudden withdrawal by Kaifu cleared the way for a chaotic scramble to succeed him among several leaders of the Liberal Democratic Party, which has governed Japan for 36 straight years. He is to remain in office until his term expires Oct. 30.

Politicians and analysts agreed that the contest would be one of the bitterest in many years but that no major policy matters would be at stake.

The leading candidates hold the same basically conservative view of economic issues coupled with strong support of the United States, and policies in Japan are forged by consensus among political leaders and bureaucrats who will continue to wield power.

Among the leading candidates are former Prime Minister Noboru Takeshita; Kiichi Miyazawa, a former deputy prime minister; Tsutomu Hata, a former Agriculture Minister; Ichiro Ozawa, a former secretary general of the governing party; and Michio Watanabe, a former minister of trade and industry.

The collapse of Kaifu's power base came early Friday when it became clear that his main supporter, Takeshita, withdrew his backing out of irritation with what was deemed to be impetuousness and equivocation on the issue of political reform.

This action came after a long period of rising dissatisfaction among party elders over Kaifu's general performance on the Persian Gulf War, the Soviet Union and the handling of the recent stock market scandals.

Ashen-faced and shaken, Kaifu made no public comments about his decision to withdraw, which was announced by an aide.

Kaifu took office in August 1989 at a time of public furor over bribery and sex scandals in the government and an unpopular sales tax, all of which resulted in a setback for the Liberal Democrats in parliamentary elections that summer.

When he took office, Kaifu was a former education minister with little experience in foreign policy or economic affairs and little independent political strength. In his first statement after being selected for the post, he pledged to pursue ''step-by-step efforts for political reforms.''

Six months later, he led his party to victory, largely because of his image as a clean politician.

Kaifu never banished the perception that he was plucked from relative obscurity and beholden to the powerful party barons who put him in office. Party professionals saw him as weak and indecisive.